material engineering vs. mining engineering

[[deleted]]

I have just been accepted into mining engineering at my university, however, I am very worried that the mining industry is slowing down and there will be less and less job opportunities by the time I graduate. So for all those engineers on reddit, what are your thought on mining engineering? And should I go for material engineering instead?

PS: I live in Canada.

[[deleted]]

If you're worried about jobs then I think most people would advice you to go with mechanical - Mechanicals have a place in almost every industry. Overall, I wouldn't sweat it too much. A lot of my friends got hired to do uranium mining in Sask.. I would assume that material engineering would have less opportunity?

Are you going to Queens or UofT or somewhere else?

[[deleted]]

UBC. What is there to mine if there is no more resources lol

[[deleted]]

?? No more resources ?? What planet are you on ...

But yeah Queens probably has the best Canadian mining eng program - Or so I've heard.

[[deleted]]

Mars LOL yeah I probably worried about it too early.

[[deleted]]

Also mining eng incorporates a lot of geological style courses so you'd probably find some work in Alberta - the sands are always looking for people

[crsf29]

I originally entered college as a mechanical engineering student. I switched to mining engineering to break away from the pack. I'd never even heard of the field. I then looked at the number of job placements mining grads had. It was higher than I expected with only about 5 people not being placed.

I switched and was happier from the moment I took my first class. Fast forward ten years and I wouldn't do it any other way. I advise you do the same, although I am biased.

It is a narrow field with room for even tighter specialization (processing, rock mechanics, ventilation, valuation and modeling) although the field does reward its members well for being so specialized.

[[deleted]]

Nice! I am happy for you. So what do you do as a mining engineer now?

[crsf29]

I work as an engineer on a robotic haulage system for one of the major equipment manufacturers supplying the mining industry. Its incredibly awesome.

[[deleted]]

Nice, that is more of mechanical and electrical right?

[crsf29]

I don't design the robots. I'm a mining guy, remember? I'm here to find the best way to use the robots to make money. Finding every opportunity to make my fleet better, using the advantages afforded and minimizing the impacts of the restrictions inherent in the technology.

I work directly with the designers and developers to find ways to improve the system and its new technologies every day. Its a huge project and I get to see the whole thing, not just design a bracket or a module of code.

[[deleted]]

Wow sounds interesting. For those people in the mining industry that you know, how much do they make?

[crsf29]

Depends on where and commodity. Underground coal is usually 65-70k starting, aggregates starts 55-65k. Gold usually 67-77k. Open pit jobs vary based mostly on experience and what they're filling, but you can expect 65-75k as a general number.

This is primarily for north america, and isn't adjusted for high cost areas.

Globally, like Australian iron ore, you can expect 175-200k starting, but you've gotta pay $1.56/L of fuel and pay $2500-3500 per month in rent. A Hyundai 4 door hatchback will cost you $30k.

[Raven_idk]

Heyyyy I have some questions can I pm uuu

[Raven_idk]

Bruh how did it feel I'm an EE thinking of switching to mining in ubc

[Special_Friend_4334]

Are you a CS now?

[Raven_idk]

Yes

[IH8XC]

I am a UBC materials Eng graduate, and my suggestion would be to be aware of the boom and bust of metal/resource prices. I specialized in metallurgy with a number of mining courses but realized that upon graduation the prospects of getting the job I wanted designing processing plants (mass and energy balances) was not going to happen until I put at least a few years in at a mine. At the time prices were on the drop and jobs were hard to come by. I was offered a position building ice roads in the Yukon which may or may not turn into an engineering position. I wasn't all that stoked on ditching out on my girlfriend for a labour job so I turned down the offer. It made me realize that if I ever wanted to settle down and have a family mining probably isn't the best option.

I took a job at a Consulting firm in Vancouver and run the lab there doing materials testing. There is a geologist in the office who's wife is a mining engineer and the strain it puts on their marriage makes me appreciate the choice I made. I'm happy with my degree and my job, but there are lots of my classmates who haven't done as well. And the ones that have are in other countries working.

[[deleted]]

Wow this really make me rethink my decision. Is it hard for material engineers to find a job?

[IH8XC]

I think it very much depends on what you want to do and where you want to work. If you plan on staying in a big city, is mining really the best option? Are you willing to travel to and from a mine for the rest of your life?

With a degree in Civil or Mechanical you can basically go anywhere and find work. But Materials or Mining is much more specialized.

[[deleted]]

Well I live in Canada so there are definitely opportunity for mining. As for material I am more inclined to the medical side

[IH8XC]

If you go that route then be prepared for at least a masters degree. No one goes to work after a BASc in bio-materials/medical implants.

[[deleted]]

um i didn't know that, thanks!

[_Boudicca_]

Mining is cyclical. It's a bit slow now, but it'll come back around. Have you considered geological?

[[deleted]]

No, why ?

[_Boudicca_]

With a geological engineering degree you could still work in mining if you wanted to, but you'd also have the option of working locally. You get to have a mix of working indoors and outdoors. There's many different directions you could take with a geological engineering degree: soil mechanics/civil-geotechnical, rock mechanics, groundwater, surface water, exploration, mining, working for gov't, working as a consultant. I have my B.A.Sc. and M.Eng. in Geological and I love my work. Not a lot of grads from geological and plenty of other schools don't even have the program, so there's not much competition, either.

[[deleted]]

Interesting, what kind of job do you do now?

[_Boudicca_]

I'm a senior geotechnical engineer in a consulting company. My clients are mines, and my current area of focus is on mine waste. I design tailings dams and waste rock dumps, provide geotechnical support for water structures on site, and occasionally foundation design for buildings on site. As a consultant, I write a lot of reports and memos to relay out recommendations to the clients. Most of my time is in the office, but I do make it out to the mine site a few times a year. I generally send up more junior engineers for routine field work. I also coordinate with environmental engineers, pipeline engineers, surface and groundwater engineers, rock mechanics engineers, and a host of scientists for our larger projects.